Nova Scions
The Nova Scions are an Ultima Founding chapter made entirely of Primaris marines specializing in urban warfare as well as daring Overlord dropship assaults. Although they have often been deployed against traitor Imperial elements and have acquitted themselves loyally and honorably, some of their actions have led the more religious, callous, and fanatical elements of the Imperium, especially the Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition, to raise questions about the chapter's loyalty, particularly as their background is unclear at best. Chapter Details Gene-seed: Pure As with all Primaris Marines, the Nova Scions gene-seed shows no signs of corruption, instead proving to be of notably high purity even amongst Cawl's new breed of Astartes. Chapter demeanor: Wardens of Man The Nova Scions, perhaps due to the close ties they maintain with the regular people of Fennum and their own inherent superiority over the rest of mankind, see themselves as uniquely capable of securing and safeguarding the Emperor's dream and Mankind's survival. None but the Astartes can ultimately pay the price, make the sacrifices and win the victories for all of humanity to thrive. Chapter beliefs: Honor the Ancestors Perhaps due to their chapter's recent founding or the lack of a clear legacy to point to and uphold, the Nova Scions uphold their own heroes as shining examples of what it means to be an Astartes. Although the Chapter's librarians seek to identify their lineage and any past heroes of their gene line, the fact that they've not been welcomed as a successor of any of the first founding chapters means that while they'd certainly pay these past heroes their due respect, they'd likely still look to their own champions as the truest exemplars. Chapter flaw: Faith in Suspicion As the Nova Scions view it as the sacred duty of those more powerful to guard those less capable, they view the often times brutal and unforgiving actions of certain Imperial institutions as downright betrayals of the Emperor's Vision. The Inquisition is foremost in their mind as an example of this, but other Astartes Chapters, such as the Black Templars, are not spared their contempt either. Chapter Homeworld Fennum is an Imperial Civilized World in the Segmentum Obscurus, near the great warpstorm known as the ''Cicatrix Maledictum. ''Claimed by the Nova Scions as their homeworld after assisting in the culling of a rebellion, it is close to a perfect world for humanity to thrive on. Yet, the closeness to the Eye of Terror, and now the Great Rift, the population has always been a hardy folk, ready for war. Still, the great mountain ranges, deep oceans, rolling plains and vast forests truly are a source of natural beauty for all to behold. The single moon sets tidal activity in a predictable and gentle pattern. Fennum hosts a diversified, almost entirely self-sufficient, base of industry and agriculture, with a reasonable technology level, allowing it to field its PDF forces with lasguns and other advanced equipment. Fortress-Monastery The chapter's Fortress-Monastery is the great mountainside citadel of Mannerhome, an ancient mountainside fortress modified and modernized through its long life. The structure outdates the Chapter itself by at least ten millenia, having been on the planet when it was originally reclaimed during the Great Crusade, then being used as the stronghold of one of the planet's many military orders. Following the Nova Scions brutally crushing the rebellious population as a sign of their appreciation and a symbol of their newfound alliance, the loyalists awarded the fortress and all lands belonging to its ancient title to the Chapter. The main approach to Mannerhome is a long straight pathway, just wide enough for an Astraeus, leading up to an equally massive gate guarded by a battery of defense lasers and cannons able to sweep the pathway from multiple angles without obstruction. Additionally, the fortress has four great landing platforms that can be retracted into the fortress proper when not in use, each guarded by independently powered and guided surface-to-air weaponry. Together with the natural armor of the mountain itself, these make Mannerhome quite impregnable to a direct assault. Inside the fortress-monastery the Nova Scions have decorated it in a manner befitting their legacy. Banners and tapestries showing the chapter's greatest heroes and victories stand side by side with imaginative scenes depicting the Emperor and his Primarchs bringing the light of the Imperium to the galaxy. Here and there a faceless, nameless Astartes wearing the Nova Scions' livery and an ancient pattern of highly ornamental power armor committing deeds no one can quite place but with themes that are familiar to all symbolizes the Chapter's unknown past, but their commitment to the high ideals of all of Humanity's heroes. Deep in the fortress-monastery lies the sanctum of the Unkown Primarch, a great circular room large enough to house the entire chapter at once with a massive and ornate stone sculpture of a Primarch, his head featureless and blank, but yet somehow looking down protectively on all assembled. There are rumors that there is another, secret room behind the sanctum, but whether it exists at all or what is in there nobody seems to know. Chapter Recruitment As Fennum doesn't have large numbers of massively dangerous predators, the Nova Scions use The Challenges as their selection process. Once a generation, the gates of Mannerhome open to welcome a crop of hopefuls to be tested. The Nova Scions would never have anyone who was not willing to give of themselves to the Emperor and His Imperium willingly, believing that such a willingness to sacrifice for Humanity must be inherent to a person if it is to be true. Despite many coming back crippled, or not at all, the number of willing volunteers is always vast, for such is the legend of the Astartes and the honor of being selected, that many would give all they posses and all they are for even a chance. All volunteers are put through psychological, mental, and physical tests as they arrive to make sure they meet the minimum requirements. Many of those who are turned away at this time wail and plead for a second chance, but once failed the volunteer is never allowed to re-enter again. It is the task of the Chapter's neophytes to turn away, by force if necessary, those unfit to continue yet unwilling to leave. Each cycle, several fatalities are caused as those who failed one or more of the tests attack the neophytes in grief, a regrettable but inevitable outcome. Those who meet the Chapter's requirements are named Aspirants, and will be led to the Challenges. The first true Challenge is the Challenge of Faith. An Aspirant will be presented with a sword in an anvil with a burning hot handle, and he is expected to pull it free. Those who succeed may keep the sword and continue, those who fail but impress the Chapter may continue but not keep the sword, and those who fail to meet the Chapter's expectation will be sent home. The second Challenge is the Challenge of Truth. An Aspirant will be matched with a Librarian who will probe the Aspirant's mind, and the Aspirant is tasked with resisting the Librarian as long as he can. All Aspirants fail this test, having their adolescent minds either fully laid bare to the Librarian or fried, but the key is how they fail. Those who give in are sent home, those who never give in are eventually burned away by the increasing psychic might arrayed against them. Those who fail yet meet the Chapter's expectations are given a shield and sent to the final Challenge. The final Challenge is the Challenge of Worth. An Aspirant, armed either with a sword and shield or simply the shield, will be faced off against an unarmed full brother of the Chapter. Even thus armed, the Aspirant stands virtually no chance of victory, and little of even survival, for a battle-brother of the Adeptus Astartes is a superhuman foe in every sense of the word. Those who impress the Chapter with their skill, spirit, and tenacity, even defeated, will be welcomed as neophytes. Yet every now and then an Aspirant is lucky enough or fated enough to actually best his foe. In such an event, the Aspirant is marked by the Chapter for greatness, and much is expected of him. Chapter History +++UNDER CONSTRUCTION+++ Founding (M41.999) Following the fall of Cadia and the resurrection of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman, the Imperium issued the first new Founding of Adeptus Astartes chapters in many years. From the gene vaults of Belisarius Cawl marched forth thousands of new warriors of Mankind, the Primaris Astartes, the new arms of the Imperium. One of these Chapters was the black and grey clad Nova Scions, a Chapter of new, raw recruits and a few old veterans who had survived in stasis for millenia. Purging of Henos (M42.000) Almost immediately upon being awakened, the Chapter was shipped to the rapidly escalating crisis zones in the Imperium, barely having time to take in the new state of the galaxy. Being subordinated to Primarch Guilliman's command, the Scions were dispatched by the Lord Regent to the world of Henos, a civilized world recently conquered and vandalized by a horde of Orks, in order to gain much-needed combat experience. Eager to show their worth to their Primarch, the Chapter made their way to the planet with all haste. Upon arrival in the system, the Chapter wasted no time in making planetfall. Although reinforcements were under way and would arrive within a month, perhaps sooner, the Chapter Master, eager for glory, deployed the majority of the Nova Scions in three theaters, a full battle-company with reinforcing armor units to establish and hold bridgeheads for the reinforcements in each. Officially, the secondary task was to eliminate Greenskin leaders and exterminate the hordes, but the implied understanding at the mission briefing was that this was to take priority over simply holding the landing zones. The Nova Scions were here to show the Primarch and all of the Imperium what the Primaris Astartes were capable of. The initial stage of the campaign went well. The preparatory bombardment cleared the areas of any organized greenskin resistance and the Nova Scions had no trouble eliminating the rest. The initial counter-assaults by the Orks were easily repulsed and as the armor elements started arriving, the area controlled by the Astartes grew rapidly. With their initial goals thus met, the Scions set about their secondary objective with a righteous fury and armored columns of Repulsor grav-tanks filled with Astartes soon rushed over the plains of Henos. However, the Nova Scions had underestimated the Orks. The Warboss in charge of the horde was all too eager to meet the Astartes in open battle, and used the vastly superior numbers of the orks to hem the Nova Scions in. Although the Chapter had a smattering of veterans from the Great Crusade among its numbers, most were on their first true campaign and though brave and strong, they yet lacked the discipline and tactical acumen of their more experienced brethren. Many Astartes and armored vehicles were lost as squads were swallowed by veritable tides of greenskins in pointless last stands where a tactical withdrawal would have been wise. The losses were disastrous in themselves, but what really proved tragic was the loss of most of the veteran cadre of the Chapter as they tried to relieve their brethren, causing the Chapter's link to its past to be severed. One of those lost was the Chapter Master himself, killed buying time for his men to withdraw to an abandoned and ruined city where they might wage a guerilla war against the more numerous greenskins. The campaign had proved to be an utter disaster and as the news of the Chapter Master's death reached the fleet, command fell on the head of the seventh company, Captain Gern Doneb. With the majority of the Chapter's armored might lost on the planet's surface and the survivors waging guerrilla war in the ruined urban centers, he set upon planning a way to salvage a victory from the catastrophe that the campaign had devolved into. Fortunately, the Chapter's Overlord Dropships had been saved, having left the planet surface soon after dropping off the Scion ground forces, and the Chapter's reserve companies were still unbloodied. Drawing upon these strengths he decided on a two-pronged apporach: First, the battle companies had to be reinforced and resupplied. Second, the orks' supply lines had to be disrupted to win the battle in the cities. Then they could hold out until the reinforcements would arrive, and they could retake the initiative. The Doneb Doctrine proved to be successful. The Overlords were used to deploy and rapidly redeploy forces, with Reiver and Vanguard units operating in the rear of the Ork lines, wrecking havoc and taking out the greenskin leaders wherever possible. Despite early estimates of reinforcements arriving within a month, this campaign of wearing down the Ork command structure lasted half a year. Once the Imperial Fleet elements finally showed up in the system, the Nova Scions had gained a great deal of experience in the new way of fighting. At the campaign's conclusion, the Nova Scions painted one shoulder plate blood red, a jarring reminder on their armor of the blood that was spilled for vainglory, never to be repeated. The purging on the planet was ultimately an unclimactic event once the Imperial Military was fully deployed. Within three years the last major Ork stronghold was burned to the ground, and the planet declared clear of the xenos threat once again. It was then that the now Chapter Master sought an audience with the Lord Commander of the Imperium, and the Chapter's clarity of purpose was fractured for the first time. Seeds of Suspicion The meeting with the Primarch was never going to be a pleasant one and Chapter Master Doneb knew that his Chapter had failed Guilliman. The fact that it had been his predecessor did not remove the stain on their honor, and it was going to be his responsibility to report the failure to the Primarch and accept his rebuke. The audience was cold, even more so than Doneb had expected. The Primarch was quiet, simply asking the Chapter Master to recount the events, his learnings, and his future plans. Doneb told everything as truthfully as he could, but for some reason this seemed to displease Guilliman even further. "My Primarch, I know we have failed you, but the Nova Scions are not beyond redemption. We will learn from this and re-emerge from the crucible, stronger and better than any who have come before!" he swore. Guilliman's response, which has caused a great deal of debate in later years, was simply "You're not beyond redemption, but you are definitely not of my legacy". Doneb took this to mean that there was no tie between the Primarch and his Chapter, and that the Chapter's legacy, whatever it was, was for him to discover, uphold, and build upon. This event, perhaps more than any other, shaped the philosophy of the Nova Scions. The Kannes Uprising (M42.008) Following the disaster on Henos, the Nova Scions answered a call of aid to crush a Chaos uprising on the war world of Kannes III. Other forces deployed were elements of the Black Templars, Ordo Hereticus forces, and several regiments of the Astra Militarum. The Nova Scions upon arrival in the system took upon themselves the reclaiming of the Hive city of Vindorg, a strategically located Hive where the defenders had held off the traitorous elements of Kannes' PDF forces and the Arbites, who had been brought under the sway of a Tzeenchian cult of the Hive's minor nobles. The defense of the Hive was led by Julian Durel, a retired PDF colonel and one of the few remaining senior officers in the Hive after the betrayal of the Arbites had led to the seizure and ritual execution of much of the loyalist leadership. He led the defense of roughly a third of the Hive, including the landing platforms which were used to evacuate as much of the civilian populace as possible. His intentions for this were far from humanitarian, as the civilians consumed much-needed supplies and needed the protection of his dwindling soldiers, but publicly he proclaimed that the soldiers were buying the Emperor's blessing by protecting His subjects. This proved to be a major morale boost for his forces at a time they desperately needed it, and kept them fighting against horrifying odds well past their natural breaking point. However, this very arrangement caused issues as unexpected reinforcements were arriving. These same landing platforms were needed for reinforcements to come in, but by this time the men under Durel were so used to the idea of fighting for civilians to escape and without even a word of reinforcements for a year, the order to clear the landing platforms and redirect the evacuation transports almost caused a mutiny in the men pushed to the brink. Only a general, open transmission bearing Astartes signature from the incoming Overlord Dropships promising the aid of the Emperor's Avenging Angels brought a semblance of order to the rising chaos, although many of the Hive's defenders still collapsed, the relief simply too much for them to process. As the Astartes began unloading and organizing into companies and squads, Chapter Master Gern Doneb met with Colonel Durel. The meeting was brief, as the colonel laid out the situation and provided a full layout of the Hive, pledging his troops to be at the Chapter Master's use. Doneb thanked the Colonel for his support and efforts, ordered the Overlords to take off and the Colonel to resume the evacuation of the civilians under his care, and swore to retake the Hive. Squad by squad, company by company the chapter struck out past the frontline into the Hive. The traitorous forces, despite outnumbering the grey-and-red clad Astartes by orders of magnitude, could not stand against the best the Imperium had to offer. Bastion by bastion, strongpoint by strongpoint the Nova Scions made their way deeper into the Hive, leaving ruin and corpses behind them, burning heretical effigies and purifying with melta fire anything too sturdy for promethium to burn. As the enemies of the Imperium have learned before and since, once an entire chapter is deployed, there are few who can stand against them. After the Hive was retaken and the last of the traitors' stain purged, elements of the chapter held the Hive for the remainder of the war, rebuffing several traitor assaults and infiltration attempts. Toward the tail end of the war when the majority of the chapter had moved on with the crusade, a force of Black Templars entered the Hive, looking to put the survivors to the sword. When challenged by the remaining Nova Scions led by Sergeant Simon Hura, the Templar Sergeant demanded that the survivors, including the soldiers under Colonel Durel, face the Emperor's Benediction to put an end to even the taint of heresy. The Nova Scions refused as they had not found any sign of heresy or corruption among the survivors. The Templars, uncompromising in their faith and purpose, raised their weapons and issued a final warning. Sergeant Haura again refused, and the Templars opened fire. The engagement lasted for two days, both sides suffering several casualties. The Nova Scions had the advantage of knowing the terrain, their physical superiority over the older Astartes, and their training as urban warfare specialist. The Black Templars had decades more of combat experience, numbers, and a fanaticism that brook no excuse. After two days of fighting, both sides were down to only a few living Astartes staring at each other down a short street. With boltguns empty and both sides driven by an unyielding purpose, they charged at each other, striking and cutting until there was only one power armored form standing. Sergeant Hura respectfully gathered the bodies of the fallen Templars and laid them side by side with their weapons in their hands before being lifted out with the bodies of his own comrades. This event marked the start of the chapter’s schism with the Inquisition as well, as they heard of the Nova Scions’ actions in defending suspected heretics against the Black Templars. Although there’s no love lost between the Black Templars and the Inquisition, the latter keeps a close eye on the crusading Astartes. That day a fateful note was made in the filed the Inquisition keeps on the Nova Scions, and although they would not join forces with the Templars, the Nova Scions unknowingly put into motion a series of events that ultimately led to them making another, potentially more dangerous foe than their fellow Astartes. To the people of the Kannes system however, the Nova Scions showed themselves as protectors and savior, and have retained close ties with the Chapter. Reclamation of Fennum (M42.020) Following the Devastation of Baal when many of the Primaris chapters were tasked with pacifying actions and bringing world to compliance, the Nova Scions broke off from the crusade to head for the Imperial civilized world of Fennum to answer a call for aid. In the chaos that reigned after the Great Rift opened up, the trying times had driven a part of the population into the arms of demagogues who sought to exploit the confusion to seize control of the planet from its Imperial governor. Their support largely came from the lower classes and from within parts of the military, but in sufficient numbers that they had raised the standard of rebellion over large parts of the planet, including many of its important manufacturing centers. The loyalist forces, composed mainly of the more elite but less numerous elements of the PDF, had been driven out of many of their strongholds when the Nova Scion fleet arrived in system. Establishing communications with the legitimate authority on the planet, Chapter Master Doneb came to the conclusion that although traitors, the mark of Chaos was not immediately visible in the rebels, meaning that the planet could still be saved. Agreeing to commit his forces to put down the rebellion, the Nova Scions made ready to make planetfall and crush the traitors under their grey armored boots. The traitors had enjoyed successes in the war thus far and were well equipped, having looted many of the PDF equipment bunkers. The governmental complex was firmly in traitor hands and reinforced as well as shielded against orbital strikes. The sheer numbers of the traitors and their access to heavy firepower would make any prolonged campaign a costly and long undertaking, something the Imperium could hardly afford at the time. Therefore, a ground campaign was not the furthest thing from the Chapter Master's mind. The first part of the campaign saw the deployment of Reiver and Vanuard squads around the capital city, making their way past patrols and guard posts. In and around the capital city, any field, park, or empty lot large enough to land an Overlord dropship was identified, the closer to the government complex the better, and these were relayed to the fleet with encrypted tight-beam communications to minimize detection. Charges were also planted at key locations to cut off reinforcements, sever communications, and wreck utter havoc amongst the defenders once the Scions began their assault. This havoc started soon, as the fleet disgorged the Overlord Dropships and Inceptor squads to drop on the capital. Alarms went off and the garrison forces, far from the front lines and taken by surprise, rushed to their defensive positions, many still certain that this was a surprise drill. Those thoughts were suddenly and brutally cut short as explosions and gunshots suddenly were heard across the city. Patrols were ambushed and massacred, both silently and loudly, drawing the traitors into prepared ambushes as they rushed to support their comrades and right past now silent and dead defenses where their numbers would have been more needed. Lasbeams and anti-aricraft fire lit the sky as the chapter descended on the city, the heavy armor of the Overlords and the nimble flying of the Inceptors making the efforts of the defenders frustratingly futile. Here and there a hit was scored and an Astartes fell from the sky in an uncontrolled manner or an Overlord's engine began to smoke, but the descent was so quick and the confusion caused by the infiltration forces so great, that the defensive fire lacked the coherence and devastation that it may have had otherwise. As the Astartes charged out of their dropships and fanned out into the city, the battle had already turned against the defenders. With astounding speed the Nova Scions made their way toward the government complex, butchering all in their path. Here and there a heavily defended position resisted, but the Astartes blew their way through the walls of buildings if necessary to get into position to eliminate all opposition. The Executive Committee, the leading body of the traitor forces, looked on in horror and disbelief as on their holofield of the city sector after sector turned from friendly green to hostile red as units were destroyed or routed. As the Astartes reached the defensive perimeter around the complex itself, their evacuation was already well underway in the escape tunnels beneath the city. Even as Inceptor squads raked the top floors of the building with bolter and plasma fire and Aggressor squads stormed the gates, in the darkness under the city a whole different battle was raging. Many of the Executive Committee's bodyguard had family and friends on the surface, and as with many of the regular soldiers, they had thought they would be making their lives better. Now, as the Committee was escaping the destruction of their main stronghold, the mask of their ambition was beginning to slip. It took all the cajoling, threats, promises, and bribes the Committee members could make to keep their own bodyguard from abandoning them, a true testament to their skill with words and power of persuasion that had brought a loyal world to feel the fire of treason. But the Nova Scions had known of the escape tunnels, having received the city plans from the loyalist forces prior to launching their assault. As the Committee was running through the tunnels they could hear an explosion behind them and were thrown to the ground as the corridor behind them was collapsed. From the dust and darkness before them they could see emerge five massive and armored shapes, the Intercessors of the third squad of the third company of Nova Scions. The bodyguards instinctively opened fire, but even their hotshot lasrifles could not pierce the Tacitus pattern power armor, and this final show of bravery was cut short with bursts from the bolt rifles of the Astartes. Thus was the Executive Committee captured and two days later the remaining renegade forces surrendered to the loyalists, bringing an end to the majority of organized resistance. The story of how the Committee had abandoned their defenders being widely circulated played a major role in this as well. The Nova Scions played a major role in crushing the remaining hardline believers in their strongholds after the official end of hostilities and the surrender of the traitor high command. During this time they formed congenial relations with many of the locals, and once the last of the traitor holdouts had been taken in the Battle of Tremp, the Chapter submitted an official claim for the planet as their homeworld. Had the Inquisition been made aware of this at the time it may have been challenged, following the events of Kannes and the circumstances on Fennum itself, but due to the byzantine nature of the Imperial bureacracy, this request passed through before crossing any suspecting eyes. The submission in all honesty had been a formality, as the Nova Scions were in need of a recruiting world and in the wake of the Indomitus Crusade so many Primaris Chapters were claiming homeworlds that the world would have been de facto established as the Nova Scion recruiting world before anyone could ever challenge its de jure position as such. Waaaagh! Zhatan (M42.052) During the Indomitus Crusade the chapter received a distress call from the civilized world of Espia while returning to Fennum. The local PDF forces had been largely routed and the orks had already set a number of cities to the torch, enslaving countless Imperial citizens and costing millions of lives. Chapter Master Doneb immediately ordered the chapter fleet to redeploy, stopping only at the forge world of Arnachus to rearm and resupply. Upon exiting the Warp, the fleet noticed that in their rush to get into combat the orks had landed or crashed the majority of their ships on the planet's surface. Taking advantage of their foe's relative weakness, the Swan of Fennum, Dawn of Victory and Sword of the Primarch along with their escorts charged with their escorts into the remaining ork ships, hammering the crude but robust vessels with lance strikes and torpedos. Although outnumbered, the Astartes ships had surprise and local firepower superiority on their side and over one day they managed to destroy or drive away the remaining ork vessels in orbit. The first small but vital stage of the battle of Espia had been successful, but the ground war would put the Nova Scions to the truest test. The liberation of the surface began with a massive campaign of orbital bombardment as the capital ships unloaded on the ork ships-turned-strongholds. The planet's defenders had destroyed the orbital defense batteries in the cities that the orks had overrun, something that the Nova Scions took full advantage of. In the wake of the bombardment the marines aboard their Overlord dropships mounted an orbital/airborne assault on the ork positions, severing communication lines, eliminating key individuals and causing targeted and brutal devastation amongst the boyz. The early stages of the battle went extremely well for the Imperial forces as scattered PDF units made their way to the rallying points established by the Nova Scions, allowing the marines to hand over garrison duties and area surveillance to the regular army, thus freeing them up for more important tasks. These successes were unsustainable however as the orks under their Warboss, a beast of a greenskin named Zhatan who had managed to fight his way free from the initial offensive, launched a counter-offensive on the now-concentrated Imperial forces. With the green tide seemingly endless, the defenders had to yield ground lest they be overrun, and even with the resupply the ammunition was running low. The Nova Scions redeployed and launched counter-offensives, utilizing their Overlords to relieve the pressure on the PDF forces, but eventually had to resort to hit-and-run tactics. The Overlords were tasked with evacuating civilians from the path of the orks as Intercessor and Hellblaster squads provided the cover needed. Reiver units ambushed orks in the cities, leaving grizzly scenes behind, and Inceptors swept down, unloading on the Nobz, and then disappearing again before the orks could retaliate. The campaign had reached a stalemate as the numbers of the greenskins made a victory nigh-impossible while the Nova Scions taking advantage of orkish animosity and the targeting of leaders leading to power struggles, which could be utilized to wipe out large amounts of disorganized enemies. The balance shifted with the arrival of a Salamanders fleet, three battle cruisers answering the same call for aid that had brought the Nova Scions. With the additional three companies and their armored vehicles, the tide was finally turned. The Salamanders provided the heavy punch that the Nova Scions force lacked, with Land Raiders and Predators striking at the orks while the Nova Scions using the Overlords to cut off any escape routes and turning each rout into a massacre. Within a year the last of the orkish armies had been crushed and Zhatan himself slain in combat with Chapter Master Doneb. Following the war, the two Astartes forces met in triumph. The Salamanders were impressed by the selfless acts of the much younger chapter, and the marines of the two chapters felt a kinship like with few others. They were united in their vision of the Emperor's will, and swore oaths of friendship and mutual assistance should the other ever need it before departing the planet once again. Space Hulk Wrath of Domination (M42.064) In the latter half of the first century of M42, a massive space hulk arrived at the edges of the Fennum system. This incited an immediate action by the chapter to investigate and, if necessary, destroy the ship, for space hulks were potentially extremely dangerous. The chapter fleet mobilized, the size of the hulk requiring a company to be deployed. The strike cruiser Nova Aurora flying through the Void to come to a relative halt alongside the great mass. Boarding torpedos were launches, four squads in total, into the corridors of the hulk. At first, the hulk seemed empty, Auspex scans showing no sign of life, natural or Warp-born, and the squads began to make their ways towards the identified power cores of the various ships that made up the hulk. With one of the squads had arrived an Adeptus Mechanicus magos, for space hulks may hold technological marvels from the forgotten past. Sergeant Larran Thorne's squad had been tasked with guarding him, something that had caused the squad to feel punished, for the magos was every bit as condescending and arrogant as a man may be. Insult was added to injury when the squad was relegated to the rear, advancing only after their brothers had clears a section, in order to allow the magos the time to study the secrets of the hulk. However, the hulk was not as empty as it had first seemed. A blip on an auspex, a small sound picked up by the audio receptors of the power armor, small hints made the Astartes aware that their presence had been noticed by something. But although alertness was maintained and training and experience remembered, the attack when it came took the Nova Scions by surprise. One instant the ship was quiet and motionless, save for the thud of power armored feet on metal corridors, in the next scores of genestealers poured out of vents, doorways, and maintenance hatches. The first squad was also the first one to be overwhelmed, their Bolt Carbines going silent as each Astartes was literally covered in diamond-hard claws and animalistic fury. The remaining squads began to converge on each others' locations, fighting through swarms of Tyranids as the hulk turned into a fierce battleground. After the initial surprise had passed however, the Nova Scions could take the genestealers' attacks, the narrow corridors actually working against the alien ambushers. The Mechanicum magos, his arrogance replaced by concern for his survival, followed the Astartes' lead after Thorne politely informed him that if he still wanted to stay to look for anything, he'd be welcome to do so without his squad. The forward squads fought their way together and were soon joined by Thorne and his men. Although their primary mission was the destruction of the hulk, their brothers had been slain without anyone able to retrieve their precious gene-seed, and the lieutenant in charge of the mission decided to push for their brothers location first to see if it could be recovered before advancing into the hulk's reactor core to set their charges. Their last position was not the most direct route to their goal, but not so distant that it would be an undue delay. With bolt carbines leveled, the Nova Scions began to make their way through the once again quiet corridors of the space hulk. They met with very little resistance in their path, and almost began to hope that they had slain the entirety, or at least majority, of the infestation. Perhaps the genestealers had only had a small group of unlucky adventurers available as hosts. Even so, this was no reason to lower their guard, and as they finally made it to their brothers' location, their concerns were proven correct. Other than bolters and blood, there was no sign of their fallen comrades. Instead, from the darkness the highly sensitive instruments of the magos once again picked up traces of skittering claw on plasteel. Auspexes lit up and warnings were issued as the Astartes took aim down the corridors, once again live threat symbols popping into view on their HUDs. The Nova Scions fought with discipline, lining shots and firing as they were trained to, each bolt fired bringing down one of the tyranid creatures. But numbers were not on their side, and one by one their weapons were discarded as their magazines ran empty. Combat knives and longer combat blades were drawn as Astartes stood shoulder to shoulder, preparing to take on a deadly enemy at their terms. Trusting in their training, armor, and the righteousness of their cause, no doubt crossed the mind of any Nova Scion, even as the storm of claws descended on them. The battle lasted an hour, the Astartes and the genestealers battling over a mounting pile of corpses. Twice the Nova Scions managed to break out of their encirclement and progress towards their goal, but they were encircles again and again. The tireless Astartes, some of them now armed with two blades after picking one up from a fallen comrade, pummeled and cut their foes to pieces, the magos, miraculously still alive, employed his arcane technologies to burn away and break apart the monstrous assailants with a cold methodological approach, machine like in each attack. It seemed like the battle could still be won, until a loud roar came from the direction they had headed towards. A new shape emerged from the ruined corridor, towering above its kin. The broodlord had decided to come end the troublesome invaders himself. Without firearms, the Astartes were now ill-equipped to take down this enemy. Yet surrender was not an option, even if it had been possible, and the powersword of the lieutenant crackled with energy again as he charged at the beast, flanked by his battle-brothers. With a speed that belied its size, the broodlord dodged strikes and lashed out in retaliation, severing the leg of one of the Scions, bringing him down to be pounced upon by its lesser brood, though they did not escape unscathed. The battle in the corridor finally came to an end when Sergeant Thorne, using the power sword of his fallen lieutenant, cleaved the head of the broodlord in two, sending the remaining genestealers either scuttling into the dark recesses of the hulk or in a mad charge against the surviving Scions, to be put down easily. Sergeant Thorne and the five surviving Astartes, grim but determined to see their mission to its end, pushed forward. With the death of the broodlord, the genestealer attacks became predictable and, while vicious, they were no longer as deadly. The survivors managed to place their charges on the drive cores and evacuate, Sergeant Thorne receiving a promotion to lieutenant post mission. Heresy on Harted (M42.111) Following years of unrest on the Imperial Hive World of Harted, things took a turn for the worst as unholy rituals held in the underhives and spires of several of the world's most prominent Hives opened great rifts into the Immaterium, allowing daemonic hordes and other vile servants of the Ruinous Powers to invade the planet, turning the once damnable existence of the world's inhabitants into a damned one. The planetary PDF was overwhelmed within the first weeks of the daemonic incursion, but not before word could be sent off-world of the great danger. The Imperium, ever watchful for the Great Enemy, responded with haste, sending a relieving force almost immediately. Additionally, several Adeptus Astartes chapters responded, among them the Salamanders, Angels of the Blade, and the Nova Scions with two companies. The Astartes forces arrived ahead of the main Imperial fleet, and Chapter Master Doneb took this opportunity to reaffirm his friendship with the Salamanders, and supported Tu'Shan as the overall commander of Astartes forces in the system. Although used to operating individually, the assembled Astartes agreed to this, well impressed by Tu'Shan's reputation and the prestige of the First Founding chapter. Ever humble, the Salamander Chapter Master vowed to do the position honor and consider the Astartes of the other chapters as closely as he did his own brothers. The campaign was the first time the Nova Scions came face to face with their heretical kin, for with the daemons and cultists fought Astartes wearing the foul symbol of Slaanesh, led by the Dark Prince's champion, Marius the Whisperer. In the tunnels of the hives the heretic Astartes proved deadly foes, for their sonic weapons reverberated and were amplified by the metallic corridors of the man-made mountains. Up close they were no less fatal, for each had honed their bladecraft to near-perfection, and the Nova Scions had to literally hack them apart to stop them from crying out in pain and pleasure. During one chaotic push into the spires of one of the traitorous hives, the Nova Scions speartip, led by Chapter Master Doneb, arrived at a great open atrium. On the other side stood a group of their enemies, equal in number to them, as if they had been waiting for them. "So perfect, all six of us here" purred their leader, a hideous cacophony of increasingly grotesque physical alterations clad in an antique suit of Mark IV power armor. "You're really not going to fight us, are you cousins? You'd ruin the supreme work of this floor with blood?" he asked, pointing to the defiled and gouged mosaic of the floor and laughed. "The only supreme work here will be our blades severing your heads, traitor!" responded the Chapter Master, and the Nova Scions charged their foes. The battle in the atrium was bloody as Astartes fought Astartes. The first to fall was one of the heretics, felled by the Chapter Champion, but he was in turn slain before he could withdraw his blade from his enemy's grasp. Chapter Master Doneb himself was brought to his knees twice, once by sorcery and the second by the Slaaneshi Champion severing his leg right below the knee. The last Scion, Captain Larran Thorne, managed to disarm and decapitate his opponent just in time to see the Chapter Master being cut down, leaving him alone with the Whisperer. The two combatants circled each other, one grinning in satisfaction, the other grimly determined. "You're going to die here, cousin" Marius said, his voice dripping with honey "Why won't you yield? You'd be welcome with us, maybe you could even bring some of your brothers?". Thorne didn't respond, simply adjusted his grip on his power sword as he gauged his opponent. This brought a frown on the face of the Chaos Champion, an expression made ugly by the facial scars and surgery done on him. "But we belong together, cousin. You don't know your past, but my Lord knows all the secrets. He keeps them, you see. I could tell you, let you know who you really are. I bet you'd love to know, it would answer so much. Just lay down your sword, and I will tell you all you ever wanted to know". But Thorne had heard enough, and with a battlecry he charged the Whisperer, finally slaying the commander of the heretic Astartes forces. After the campaign, Thorne was sworn in as the Chapter Master by the Master of Sanctity and the Chief Librarian, witnessed by the brothers present. Minor Campaigns Salvation of Geher (M42.037) As part of an Imperial relief force, the Nova Scions fifth company guarded a refugee resettlement site while other elements of the force took the offensive against the Biel-Tan Aeldari. Gene-Taint of Korhan III (M42.086) During an investigation of an Imperial agri-world gone silent, the Nova Scions fourth company discovered and combatted a gene-stealer infestation on the planet before the Inquisition ordered an Exterminatus upon it. Chapter Gene-Seed Official Truth As with many other Ultima chapters, the exact progenitor of the Nova Scions is not known to many. Some have suggested that, due to the chapter's gene-seed purity, they are from Ultramarine stock. However, if this is the case they are an exception amongst the successors of Guilliman, as the chapter disregards most of the teachings of the Codex Astartes due to both lack of access to equipment and early campaign experiences. Another likely candidate is the gene-seed of Vulkan due to both the close kinship the chapter has found with Salamanders as well as the overall attitude of the chapter toward the citizenry of the Imperium. The close ties the Astartes retain with their families, even after initiation to the chapter, is also a rare cultural trait most commonly encountered in the descendants of the Salamander's primarch. Other possibilities are the Dark Angels for the purity of their gene-seed and the air of mystery around the chapter, and the Imperial Fists for their propensity and skill towards urban warfare. Suspicions of Heresy However, there are also those that suggest a darker possibility: that the Nova Scions are one of Cawl's "special projects", a chapter made from the gene-seed of a traitor legion. The suspicious minds of the Imperium often turn to fear the worst, and ignorance is the most fertile ground for the poison of mistrust. Some have suggested the chapter to have been descended from the Iron Warriors for the same reason as from the Imperial Fists, namely the connection between siege and urban warfare. The Alpha Legion has also been presented as a potential progenitor by others, due to their de-centralized command structure and the propensity of preparatory infiltration tactics employed by both the Alpha Legion and the Nova Scions. However, the theory most common amongst those that doubt the loyalty of the Nova Scions is for themto have descended from Fulgrim, the only gene-seed purer than found in the Ultramarines. Those who support this theory remember the role of the Emperor's Children as the Imperial diplomats, and attribute the Nova Scions' congenial nature to this influence, rather than any influence of Vulkan's easy sociability or Guilliman's tact. None know the truth, save for Belisarius Cawl and, perhaps, the inner circle of the chapter itself. Chapter Organization The Nova Scions maintain numbers at above Codex strength, with additional Reiver units and, notably, Apothecaries than Codex compliant chapters, but not so much so as to overly concern the Imperium in the midst of the current era of chaos and war. Chapter Forces Honorific Titles Force Commander: Title held by any officer or non-commissioned officer other than the Chapter Master in charge of a force of Nova Scions from at least two companies. Master of Arms: The title held by the foremost melee expert in the Chapter Lord Diplomat: Title held by the Astartes deemed most able to represent the Chapter in the Chapter Master's stead Master of Relics: Title held by the most senior techmarine Steward of Mannerhome: Title held by the most senior serf of the Chapter Keeper of Future Memory: A title held by the Chief Librarian Warden of Purity: Title held by the most senior Apotechary Chapter Combat Doctrine The Nova Scions specialize in two forms of warfare: Overlord dropship assaults and urban warfare. For this reason, their armory has less armored vehicles than many other chapters, but they also field a larger number of Reiver units and Dreadnoughts that are more mobile in an urban environment. Pragmatic and practical, the Nova Scions also practice mission tactics, where every member of a unit is expected to know and being able to lead the unit if the captain, lieutenant, or sergeant is killed or incapacitated. This has made the chapter very resilient and adaptable to changing battlefield conditions in the confusion of urban warfare. Chapter Beliefs As the majority of the chapter does not know their primarch, the chapter reveres their own heroes above all others. They revere the Emperor as father, and their unknown primarch as an ideal, but they do not worship them as some other chapters do, due to their closeness to the primarchs and the Emperor. Rather, the Nova Scions pay reverence to Humanity as a whole as an abstract concept, and that as the Emperor's foremost sons, it is their responsibility to watch over their weaker kin. Notable Nova Scions Chapter Master Larran Thorne: bested a battle-brother during the challenge trial, marking him out as exceptional early on. As a young sergeant he faced and bested a gene-stealer patriarch on a space hulk clearing mission, saving the life of the adeptus mechanicus magos accompanying the marines and his wounded lieutenant. Recently elevated to chapter master after his predecessor was slain by a demon-prince machinating the rebellion on an Imperial world. Sergeant Simon Haura: The heroic sergeant of the second squad of the third company during the early days of the Dominus Crusade, Simon Hura is the exemplar of what the Nova Scions expect of their battle-brothers. From the chapter’s first engagement on the war world of Kannes III, Haura was noted as an exceptional warrior, seeking out and slaying the champions of the Emperor’s enemies. He is well known for coming to clashes with the Black Templar brother-captain Anastas over the fate of Imperial citizens of the world after the battle was done, where the Templars wanted to put the survivors to the sword to end any potential spread of heresy and corruption. The Nova Scions, who had freed the city and defended it for much of the war had seen no sign of corruption amongst the populace, but with most of the chapter’s fighting forces had already lifted from the planet, leaving only Sergeant Haura and his squad of ten. This difference escalated to a full-blown battle between the Templars and the Scions, who were outnumbered three to one. The battle was ultimately won after a relieving force of Overlord dropships delivered reinforcements to outflank the Black Templars, though by then the only surviving Nova Scion was Sergeant Haura, grievously wounded. This event marked the start of the chapter’s schism with the Inquisition as well, as they heard of the Nova Scions’ actions in defending suspected heretics against the Black Templars. Other Forces Non-Astartes Serfs: Those who wish to serve the chapter but are unwilling to undertake the challenge will be given the opportunity to join as serfs, serving the chapter on custodial roles, preparing and serving food, manning the communication arrays and other such roles. Often lesser siblings of battle-brothers join and serve in this manner. White Guard: The standing human guards and troops that man the guns of the fortress monastery and ships, and defend the chapter's home when the marines are deployed elsewhere. Made up of elite forces, similar to Imperial Guard Stormtroopers and so named for the white shoulder plates on their armor. Despite the close relations between the White Guard of Fennum and the Nova Scions, they are two distinct organizations. Lotten Sword: Though Astartes can be male only, there is a proud tradition amongst the people of Fennum of warrior women forming armed orders. One of these was adopted by the Nova Scions as a formation of the White Guard, often made up of the sisters and mothers of Battle-brothers. Despite the close relations between the Lotten Sword and the Nova Scions, they are two distinct organizations. Chapter Fleet Battle Barge: * Swan of Fennum Strike Cruisers: * Iku-Turso * Dawn of Victory * Sword of the Primarch * Vengeance of Fennum * Nova Aurora * Dauntless Avenger * Perilous Knight * Tarnished Shield Escorts * Gladius Class Frigates ** Dawn Sentry ** Ardent Protector ** Fearless Defender ** Glorious Pathfinder ** Selfless Guardian ** Valiant Vanguard * Nova Class Frigates ** Dagger of Man ** Needle of Light ** Mace of Fennum ** Spear of Lotten ** Light of Justice ** Dawnbringer ** Aurora Vengeance ** Flame of Brotherhood ** Guide of Justice Category:Ultima Founding Category:Space Marines Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Imperium Category:Nova Scions Category:Primaris